Assistant Director, Alumni Matters, Lee Kong Chian School of Business

Job Description

• Alumni Matters
• Strategic Planning and Execution
• Lead the design and execution of a comprehensive alumni engagement strategy for Singapore and the region, aligned with the vision and strategic priorities of SMU, LKCSB, and the Office of Alumni Relations.
• Develop differentiated approaches for junior, mid-career, and senior alumni segments to strengthen engagement, participation, advocacy, and alumni contributions. Ensure that alumni strategies, data, and outcomes align with institutional priorities and, where relevant, support Financial Times (FT) and Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) rankings performance.
• Stakeholder Management
• Serve as LKCSB's principal liaison for alumni matters, building trusted relationships with alumni, senior corporate leaders, and key university stakeholders.
• Partner closely with Admissions, Career Services, Advancement, Alumni Relations, Overseas Centres, Student Affairs, and Academic stakeholders to align priorities, mobilise support, and deliver strategic alumni outcomes through influence and cross-functional collaboration.
• Alumni Engagement
• Develop and deliver a strategic alumni engagement portfolio that advances volunteerism, professional development, service, and high-value programming.
• Oversee engagement channels and service standards to ensure a consistently positive alumni experience, and establish meaningful metrics to measure participation, impact, and return on investment.
• Alumni Groups and Chapters
• Establish and strengthen alumni groups and chapters, including academic, professional, and special-interest affinity networks.
• Identify and cultivate volunteer leaders, build sustainable engagement models, and provide strategic guidance to ensure these communities remain active, relevant, and aligned with LKCSB's broader alumni objectives.
• Alumni Data and Communications
• Oversee the integrity and effective use of alumni data to support engagement, reporting, strategic decision-making, and rankings submissions.
• Develop and manage communications across newsletters, social media, and LinkedIn platforms to keep alumni informed, connected, and meaningfully engaged with the School, while supporting reputation-building and survey participation where appropriate.
• Event Management
• Lead the planning and execution of flagship alumni events, including LKCSB reunions, professional networking sessions, conferences, and regional chapter activities, ensuring a strong stakeholder experience, operational excellence, and strategic value.
• Assessment and Budgeting
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of alumni engagement initiatives to strengthen alumni retention, enhance the alumni experience, and increase institutional impact.
• Manage budgets with discipline and sound judgment to ensure high-quality delivery, cost effectiveness, and value for money.
• Rankings
• Ranking Data Accuracy and Submission
• Ensure the accuracy, consistency, and strategic positioning of all qualitative and quantitative data submitted to ranking bodies including the FT, QS, and other global agencies.
• Ranking Strategic Analysis
• Analyse ranking methodologies (e.g. employment outcomes, salary progression, research output, and internationalisation) to identify improvement opportunities and suggest strategic initiatives. Examples may include identifying gaps in survey coverage, recommending actions to improve response quality, proposing targeted alumni or employer outreach strategies, or translating methodology changes into specific institutional action plans.
• Reputation Management
• Manage reputation surveys by identifying, engaging, and nurturing relationships with key alumni, employers, and academic stakeholders to enhance LKCSB's reputation scores. Examples include broadening and refreshing the survey contact pools, strengthening engagement with high-value respondents, coordinating targeted communications to encourage survey participation, and tracking response patterns to improve future outreach.
• Performance Monitoring
• Track and analyse key performance indicators (KPIs) against peer and competitor institutions, providing insights and recommendations to senior leadership on ranking-related strategies.
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Collaborate with other SMU offices, including alumni relations, marketing, career services, and research teams, to gather collect data and implement initiatives that improve ranking performance.
• Supervisory Responsibilities
• The incumbent is expected to work effectively through others by influencing, coordinating, and guiding colleagues, students, interns, vendors, volunteers, and cross-functional stakeholders involved in specific events, programmes, and projects.
• The role works closely with the Assistant Dean / Associate Director, programme teams and relevant stakeholders to align responsibilities, drive execution, and achieve shared outcomes.
• Any other duties assigned.

Qualifications

• Professional Experience
• Degree with at least 10 years of progressively responsible and successful experience in one or more of the following areas: alumni relations, advancement, communications, marketing, institutional planning, rankings, or related functions.
• Demonstrated achievements in managing stakeholder relationships, engagement programmes, communications initiatives, rankings-related workstreams, or institution wide projects with measurable outcomes. Examples may include improving alumni or employer survey participation rates, strengthening the quality and timeliness of data submissions, contributing to improved performance on selected ranking indicators, or leading initiatives that enhanced institutional visibility and reputation.
• Strategic and Analytical Capability
• Strong ability to develop, execute, and assess alumni engagement strategies aligned with institutional priorities, including differentiated approaches for junior, mid-career, and senior alumni segments, with clear understanding of how engagement outcomes can support broader reputational and rankings objectives.
• Strong analytical capability to interpret ranking methodologies and data requirements, particularly those relevant to FT and QS, and convert insights into practical, institutionally aligned strategies, submissions, and improvement initiatives.
• Stakeholder and Relationship Management
• Exceptional interpersonal and influencing skills, with demonstrated experience engaging senior corporate leaders, alumni volunteers, internal stakeholders, ranking contributors, and external partners.
• Ability to operate effectively in highly unstructured, ambiguous, and politically sensitive environments, including managing divergent views, resistance, and competing priorities.
• Communication Excellence
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft clear, compelling, and strategic messages across electronic, print, and social media platforms.
• Confidence in public speaking, facilitation, and representation, particularly in alumni, corporate, and institutional settings.
• Leadership and People Management
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence, collaboration, and sound judgement, including coordinating cross-functional stakeholders and guiding project-based resources towards shared outcomes.
• A collaborative and mature leadership style, with the ability to work effectively with senior management and diverse stakeholders in a matrixed environment.
• Operational and Financial Acumen
• Experience in planning and managing budgets, assessing cost effectiveness, and ensuring value‑for‑money delivery of programmes and events.
• Strong organisational skills to manage multiple large‑scale initiatives, events, and timelines concurrently.
• Technical and Systems Proficiency
• High level of computer literacy, including proficiency in word processing, database management, alumni systems, and digital communication platforms.
• Ability to oversee data accuracy, reporting, analysis, and submissions for institutional, reputational, alumni, and ranking purposes, including examples such as validating source data, coordinating cross-functional input, reconciling discrepancies before submission, and producing analysis to support ranking improvement discussions.
• SMU alumni will have an added advantage, as their familiarity with the university's culture, community, and alumni ecosystem will enable them to engage stakeholders effectively.

• Alumni Matters
• Strategic Planning and Execution
• Lead the design and execution of a comprehensive alumni engagement strategy for Singapore and the region, aligned with the vision and strategic priorities of SMU, LKCSB, and the Office of Alumni Relations.
• Develop differentiated approaches for junior, mid-career, and senior alumni segments to strengthen engagement, participation, advocacy, and alumni contributions. Ensure that alumni strategies, data, and outcomes align with institutional priorities and, where relevant, support Financial Times (FT) and Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) rankings performance.
• Stakeholder Management
• Serve as LKCSB's principal liaison for alumni matters, building trusted relationships with alumni, senior corporate leaders, and key university stakeholders.
• Partner closely with Admissions, Career Services, Advancement, Alumni Relations, Overseas Centres, Student Affairs, and Academic stakeholders to align priorities, mobilise support, and deliver strategic alumni outcomes through influence and cross-functional collaboration.
• Alumni Engagement
• Develop and deliver a strategic alumni engagement portfolio that advances volunteerism, professional development, service, and high-value programming.
• Oversee engagement channels and service standards to ensure a consistently positive alumni experience, and establish meaningful metrics to measure participation, impact, and return on investment.
• Alumni Groups and Chapters
• Establish and strengthen alumni groups and chapters, including academic, professional, and special-interest affinity networks.
• Identify and cultivate volunteer leaders, build sustainable engagement models, and provide strategic guidance to ensure these communities remain active, relevant, and aligned with LKCSB's broader alumni objectives.
• Alumni Data and Communications
• Oversee the integrity and effective use of alumni data to support engagement, reporting, strategic decision-making, and rankings submissions.
• Develop and manage communications across newsletters, social media, and LinkedIn platforms to keep alumni informed, connected, and meaningfully engaged with the School, while supporting reputation-building and survey participation where appropriate.
• Event Management
• Lead the planning and execution of flagship alumni events, including LKCSB reunions, professional networking sessions, conferences, and regional chapter activities, ensuring a strong stakeholder experience, operational excellence, and strategic value.
• Assessment and Budgeting
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of alumni engagement initiatives to strengthen alumni retention, enhance the alumni experience, and increase institutional impact.
• Manage budgets with discipline and sound judgment to ensure high-quality delivery, cost effectiveness, and value for money.
• Rankings
• Ranking Data Accuracy and Submission
• Ensure the accuracy, consistency, and strategic positioning of all qualitative and quantitative data submitted to ranking bodies including the FT, QS, and other global agencies.
• Ranking Strategic Analysis
• Analyse ranking methodologies (e.g. employment outcomes, salary progression, research output, and internationalisation) to identify improvement opportunities and suggest strategic initiatives. Examples may include identifying gaps in survey coverage, recommending actions to improve response quality, proposing targeted alumni or employer outreach strategies, or translating methodology changes into specific institutional action plans.
• Reputation Management
• Manage reputation surveys by identifying, engaging, and nurturing relationships with key alumni, employers, and academic stakeholders to enhance LKCSB's reputation scores. Examples include broadening and refreshing the survey contact pools, strengthening engagement with high-value respondents, coordinating targeted communications to encourage survey participation, and tracking response patterns to improve future outreach.
• Performance Monitoring
• Track and analyse key performance indicators (KPIs) against peer and competitor institutions, providing insights and recommendations to senior leadership on ranking-related strategies.
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Collaborate with other SMU offices, including alumni relations, marketing, career services, and research teams, to gather collect data and implement initiatives that improve ranking performance.
• Supervisory Responsibilities
• The incumbent is expected to work effectively through others by influencing, coordinating, and guiding colleagues, students, interns, vendors, volunteers, and cross-functional stakeholders involved in specific events, programmes, and projects.
• The role works closely with the Assistant Dean / Associate Director, programme teams and relevant stakeholders to align responsibilities, drive execution, and achieve shared outcomes.
• Any other duties assigned.